Legal Director - Real Estate & Legal Operations

JR United Kingdom; City Of London; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading property company seeks a Legal Director to oversee complex in-house legal matters and support business growth in London. This senior role involves managing real estate transactions, advising executives, and ensuring compliance across legal functions. Ideal candidates will have 9-10 years PQE with significant experience in real estate law.

Qualifications

• Senior counsel leadership experience: Head of Legal, GC, or Legal Director.
• 9-10 years PQE as a solicitor with expertise in real estate.
• Experience in corporate governance and compliance.

Responsibilities

• Managing real estate transactions and mitigating legal risks.
• Advising on commercial contracts and corporate governance.
• Performing company secretarial duties.

Skills

Leadership

Negotiation

Commercially driven advice

Risk mitigation

Relationship-building

Education

Solicitor qualification (9-10 years PQE)

Job description

Legal Director - Real Estate & Legal Operations, London (City of London)

Client:

Location:

London (City of London), United Kingdom

Job Category:

Other

EU work permit required:

Yes

Job Views:

2

Posted:

16.06.2025

Expiry Date:

31.07.2025

Job Description:

The client

Our client is in the property space and seeking a Head of Legal/GC to join their business to lead on a range of complex in-house legal matters and work closely with executives to support growth, strategies, and legal risk management within the group, while being pragmatic and commercial to support business objectives.

The Role

As General Counsel, you will serve as the key and sole legal contact and trusted advisor to the SMT and executives, as well as other business units, on a broad range of legal and strategic matters, including land acquisition and sale.

This role requires confident leadership, impactful results, pragmatic influence, and being a key advisor on important legal matters across business functions. You will handle strategic and day-to-day legal issues and play a pivotal role in the group’s legal and commercial operations.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Managing, negotiating, and structuring real estate transactions such as land acquisitions and sales.
• Mitigating legal risks through strategic advice, steps, and audits.
• Leading broader legal areas including commercial contracts, corporate governance, data protection, employment, and compliance.
• Ensuring legal policies are current and fit for purpose.
• Managing legal budgets and liaising with external counsel, advising on what should be handled in-house versus outsourced.
• Building relationships and collaborating across the group.
• Supporting litigation matters and working with external counsel.
• Advising on critical initiatives and projects.
• Performing company secretarial duties.

About you

To succeed, you will likely have:

• Senior counsel leadership experience, such as Head of Legal, General Counsel, or Legal Director.
• At least 9-10 years PQE as a solicitor with expertise in real estate and in-house legal leadership.
• Experience in corporate governance, company secretarial work, compliance, and data protection.
• The ability to work effectively under pressure and meet tight deadlines, partnering closely with senior business leaders.
• Confidence in your approach, with strong relationship-building skills and collaborative mindset.
• Commercially driven advice-giving, pragmatic risk mitigation, and tactful negotiation skills.
• Solutions-focused mindset and ability to advise on complex legal challenges.

This is an excellent opportunity for a senior lawyer with real estate, commercial, and corporate expertise to provide leadership-level advice. Apply now to learn more!

Start date: ASAP, with flexibility for up to 1 month notice. Note: a 3-month notice period is not suitable.

Contract duration: Initial 6 months, with potential for extension.

Location: Offices across the UK, with occasional travel. Flexible homeworking arrangements are available, with attendance required for board meetings.

Salary: Highly competitive, reflecting senior level.